FireChat Alerts will help broadcast alerts to people in disaster stuck areas

FireChat Alerts will be transmitted directly from one smartphone to the next via the peer-to-peer mesh networking technologyNeha Alawadhi | ET Bureau | May 19, 2016, 18:27 IST

Private chatting app FireChat, which can work without a data connection or cellular network, on Thursday launched "FireChat alerts" that will help send alerts to people in disaster struck areas, such as the Chennai floods or the earthquake in Nepal.

FireChat Alerts will be transmitted directly from one smartphone to the next via the peer-to-peer mesh networking technology, which transmits messages through people's smartphones, instead of centralized networks. Each device can store and forward the alerts, allowing them to propagate and reach more and more people, and extending the reach of messages beyond the abilities of traditional networks.

Designed for government organizations, NGOs and media to broadcast and disseminate “one-to-very-many” alerts to mobile devices within a specific geographical area and period of time.

FireChat Alerts act “as a resilient large-scale broadcasting system, reaching people’s smartphones to deliver text and visual information including early warning, emergency and health advisories, as well as weather and traffic information,” said the OpenGarden, the creator of FireChat app, in a statement.

“Witnessing an average of 20 typhoons annually, everyone in the Philippines has a very keen interest in innovation that helps both in preparedness and response during and after emergencies,” said Gil Francis Arevalo, Community Engagement Officer of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) in the Philippines.

"The technology behind FireChat Alerts has huge potential. We began exploring the possibilities with Open Garden as part of OCHA’s commitment to the members of the Community of Practice (CoP) on Community Engagement,” he added.

India is a big market for FireChat, with 1.5 million users, who on an average use FireChat three times a day.

India was the perfect use case for FireChat’s technology during the Chennai floods last year. The company recorded the addition of 23,000 new users in the city during that time, as traditional networks and data connections went out of service, leaving a large chunk of the population in dire straits.

According to the UN, more than 200 million people are affected by natural disasters every year. This figure is likely to grow as climate change accelerates.

Open Garden launched FireChat Alerts in Istanbul during the World Humanitarian Summit, a gathering of the humanitarian community and 45 heads of state.